28. Monty
CHAPTER 28
Monty
O n Sunday, the skies over Palmer City hung dark and heavy, threatening to storm at a moment’s notice. Up in the mountains, it was snowing, but it wouldn’t get cold enough here to be anything more than rain. The slow-moving system would hit us right around dinnertime.
Brenna and her event crew had outdone themselves with the decor and theming in Nana’s favorite colors—red and blue—and Fyvie from the bakery had brought over a truckload of diabetic and celiac-friendly desserts from the bakery that looked more tempting than their traditionally made counterparts.
The party was in full swing when Gabby tapped me on the shoulder at the dessert table. “Kitchen. Now.”
I raised an eyebrow and held up my gluten-free gooey brownie.
“Bring it with you. This is important, Montgomery.”
I winced. She never called me that.
“Am I in trouble?”
“You bet your pom-poms you are. ”
I rolled my eyes. “Poms are for girls. I had a megaphone.”
“You’re going to have a mega headache if you don’t follow me into the kitchen right now.”
“Fine, fine.”
I hurried after her through the rooms to the kitchen. Brenna’s catering staff were all in the dining room, so it was empty.
“Senior year of college. We were taking an online writing class because the day class got dropped and the night class conflicted with Worlds team practice.”
“Yeah, so?” I took a bite of the brownie and chewed it slowly.
“We partner-edited.” She leaned closer. “Do you remember?”
I shrugged and swallowed the brownie. “Not really.” I popped the rest of it into my mouth.
“Well, I do. Because your poems were all lovesick odes to some girl you denied existed. You used phrases like ‘my feelings live deep in my heart’ and ‘I fear to speak my heart aloud’ and ‘my soul reaches out to yours’ or something. Phrases that somehow ended up in Tasha’s love letters from Vlad.”
I sucked in a breath.
Bad idea.
The brownie got stuck in my throat. I coughed it up, and Gabby ran to the fridge to get me a bottle of water.
“One phrase? I could believe it was a coincidence. Two? Still plausible, but I’d give you the benefit of the doubt. Three? Straight up PLAGIARISM. So how did a dude from Russia who speaks minimal English—and can barely read it—get access to your poetry?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I insisted .
“Then check your Google docs.” Her tone softened. “Were you trying to send Tasha messages, Cyrano-style? Or was it truly an act of your subconscious?”
What was she talking about? “Stop reading into it. Vlad asked me for help. I just rewrote what he wanted to say in a way that was intelligible.”
“I knew it!” She poked my bicep. “You need to tell that to Tasha. Poor thing is wallowing in guilt about breaking things off with a guy who she thinks is in love with her.”
“Guilt? She’s not upset that they broke up?”
Gabby shook her head. “I think she knew it was never going to work.”
“Then why did she keep trying?” I had to know.
“Have you seen her medical bills?”
I had. One morning when she was at work, I’d gone into her room to borrow her tape to wrap a gift for Nana. Her dispenser was a paperweight, and underneath was a stack of bills. On top was a payment plan stub from the hospital. She hadn’t been kidding when she’d told me it would take years to pay it off. After visiting Nana, I went straight to Pasta Nacht’s to ask Astoria where I could find her mother.
That was when I began typing up the rest of her recipes in earnest.
The kitchen door opened, and Noel poked his head in. “Hey, Monty. Gab—Coach texted. Our flight is leaving an hour early to beat the worst of the storm. Do you want to go home now or catch a ride with Tasha? She’s going to bring Penny home later.”
“I’ll go now. Be right out.” He left, and she turned back to me. “You need to come clean. Don’t let Tasha feel any worse than she already does. And”—she poked me again for emphasis—“you may be surprised at her reaction, you big doofus.”
I clutched at my heart. “Name-calling? That hurts.”
She grinned. “I’ll hurt you worse if you don’t confess. Don’t test me.”
Gabby turned on her heel and stalked out of the kitchen. I sighed and followed her so I could thank Noel, Xavier, and Brendan for coming.
It began to rain shortly after, and Tasha and I helped Brenna’s crew bring in the tables and chairs that were set up on the veranda. A loud thunderclap made us all jump as lightning crackled over the lake below, treating us to a stunning show of nature’s uncontrollable power.
“Have you seen Penny?” Tasha asked once we were back inside. “She’s not at her harp. I can’t find her.”
“Maybe she changed her mind and left?”
Tasha shook her head. “Who would she have left with? I watched her wave goodbye to Xavier, and if she got a ride from someone else, she would have told me.”
“And you’ve searched the house?”
“Well … just the downstairs. And outside. I don’t think she’d go upstairs. She’d be afraid of intruding.”
“Probably. But she’s pregnant. Maybe she had to go to the bathroom and the downstairs ones were occupied?”
“Maybe. I hadn’t thought of that.”
“I’ll go upstairs and check. You hang out down here in case she comes back.”
“Okay.”
I jogged up the main stairs to the second floor and opened the first door, a guest room. “Pen?”
No answer. I cut around the bed to the en suite bathroom. Empty .
Back in the hall, I checked the other three rooms before entering my own at the end of the hall. The door to my bathroom was closed, so I knocked. “Pen? Are you in here?”
The toilet flushed, but there was no verbal reply. “Pen? You okay?”
“I—I don’t know.” Her voice was low, weak.
“I’m going to open the door, okay?”
“’Kay.”
I turned the knob and pushed the door open. Penny was kneeling on the floor with her head resting on the closed toilet lid and her hands on her rounded middle. The air was rancid with vomity fumes.
“Is the baby—” Tears burned my eyes. I couldn’t finish the sentence.
“She’s fine,” she said. “I think it was something I ate.”
“Can you stand? Do you want to lie down? I have a four-thousand-dollar mattress that will cradle you like a fluffy cloud.”
“Can’t … OOOOHmygosh!” She lifted the lid. I sprang into action, gathering her waist-length hair while she heaved.
“I got you,” I murmured softly as I reached to flush the toilet. “You Palmer women and your food issues. It’s scary.”
“I … n-never had food issues before. S-sorry.”
“Penny!” Tasha knelt beside me and hip-checked me out of her way. “What’s going on?”
“I … maybe food poisoning? My indigestion has been so bad. I’ve eliminated so much from my diet.”
“What did you eat today?”
“I had a protein bar before church. Only had eggs and bacon at brunch. I was fine. It was probably the chicken salad I had here? But I thought I was safe because I’ve had it before. It’s Brewski’s, right? ”
“Yes,” I confirmed.
Tasha looked up at me. “Chicken salad could easily be the culprit. The mayo could be bad or the chicken undercooked. And with her stomach already in chaos, it wouldn’t take much for it to revolt.”
“But no one else is sick.” I didn’t understand. “Brenna’s pregnant, and I saw her eating the chicken salad.”
“And she’s been eating that stuff her whole life. Her stomach is probably made of steel from all the fried food and junk she’s consumed—Penny!—she fainted!”
“I’m fine. Just wanna close m-my eyes,” Penny insisted.
“You’re not fine, Pen. Monty! Get Nana’s nurse.”
I ran out of the room and hurried down the stairs to find Nana. Only a few guests remained; most had left when the storm started to pick up, and by this point I’d lost hope my parents would show up. “Where’s your nurse?”
Nana snorted. “She’s a party pooper, so I sent her off to the sunroom to read in the rain. She’s checking on me every twenty minutes though.”
“Thanks!” I kissed her on the cheek and ran off toward the back of the house.
I explained Penny’s condition, and the nurse followed me upstairs. We reached my room, and I pointed to the open door inside. “She’s in there.”
I hung back by the door. I wanted to give them space but also stay close enough to see and hear what was happening.
“Penny? I’m Lily. I’m a nurse. Can you open your eyes for me? Good. I’m going to examine you, okay?” The nurse put her stethoscope in her ears and checked Penny’s pulse, heartbeat, and breathing.
“Can you lift her shirt for me?” Lily asked Tasha .
I turned away to give them privacy but didn’t leave so I could hear everything.
“Is she okay?” Tasha asked. “The baby?”
“The baby’s heartbeat is strong, nothing amiss to lead me to believe it’s stressed. No cramping or bleeding. But she’s weak and dehydrated. I’d suggest taking her to the ER for fluids.”
“Okay. Penny, can you stand?”
“Later.”
“I got her,” I said. “Tasha, go tell Brenna she’s in charge. Lily, can you let Nana know what’s going on? I’m going to take Penny down the elevator to my truck.”
I carefully slid one arm behind Penny’s back, the other beneath her knees, lifted her, and carried her out of the room. The elevator had been installed where the back servants’ staircase had been, and I’d never been so glad for it. We took it all the way down to the driveway, which was a level below the first floor.
“Just a few more steps, Penny.” I kept my voice calm so as not to alarm her.
“’Kay.” Her head fell against my chest.
The storm hammered against the roof as I hurried through the breezeway and into the garage.
We got to my truck, I managed to press the fob twice, and the horn honked when the doors unlocked. I stretched my fingers to pull the handle to open the back passenger door but couldn’t get a good grip.
“I … can do it.” Penny shifted in my arms.
“You sure?”
“I’m … pregnant. My arms aren’t … broken.” She breathed heavily as she reached out, pulled the handle, and opened the door .
“Good job.” I used my shoulder to swing the door open all the way. “Let me get you settled back here.”
“L-Look at you, M-Monty. P-Protector vibes look g-good on you.”
“Don’t tell anyone,” I whispered. “You’ll ruin my reputation.” Penny was stuttering, an old condition that returned every now and again when she was stressed or anxious. Since Xavier wasn’t here, it was up to me to make her feel safe and take care of her until we got to the hospital.
She held up her hand in a fist and tapped the nail side of her thumb twice to her lips, the ASL sign for “secret.”
“Good.” I winked and set her gently on the leather seat, dragged the seat belt across her torso, and clicked it in place.
She slid the lap portion below her belly and closed her eyes. She groaned and rubbed her hand over her belly.
The back door behind the driver’s seat flew open. Tasha used the running board to step up, tossed a blanket onto the seat and climbed in. Her phone wedged between her shoulder and ear, she sat down and pulled her own seat belt on.
I pressed the remote start on the fob, and the big V8 engine rumbled to life. On a night like tonight, the extra power might come in handy. I rushed around, yanked open the driver’s door, and climbed in behind the wheel. The temperature outside was in the low forties, so I cranked up the heat in the back seat.
“Gotta let you go, Mom. I’ll see you there.” Tasha ended the call and leaned forward. “I sent you a text with a link to Palmer City General, where Penny’s OB has rights. We’re going there in case he needs to check on her.” She shook open the blanket and laid it over her sister .
My phone automatically connected to my truck’s GPS, and I pulled up the text with the location.
“You ready?” I peered at Tasha in the rearview mirror. Her expression was stoic and calm, but her eyes told a different story.
Fear.
“Mrs. Nicks’s car was the only one blocking you, and I asked her to move it. So you should be clear.”
“Brilliant.” I hadn’t even thought about that. “Thanks.”
I pressed the button on the rearview mirror to open the garage door. It rattled from the heavy wind slamming against it and slowly creaked its way upward. Rain whipped in through the opening, and I caught a glimpse of how extensively the weather conditions had deteriorated.
Tasha twisted to look out the back window. “Oh my gosh. The storm has gotten so much worse. Please drive carefully.”
“Count on it.” Not a chance in this lifetime I’d let anything happen to either of them.
I backed slowly out of the garage, and the truck was hit by a deluge of water like driving into an automatic car wash, heavy and powerful and blinding. I flipped on the wipers and maneuvered the truck around, careful not to hit Tasha’s car. Once I was clear of the remaining guests’ vehicles, I cautiously navigated the long, winding driveway down to where it met Stagecoach Road.
Lightning lit up the sky, and thunder rumbled close enough to vibrate the truck. Another bolt hit with an earth-shaking crack in front of us, illuminating the dark sky and the tall pines lining our property.
“Look out!” Tasha shouted and pointed toward the front. “Tree falling!”
I’d begged Nana when I moved in to let me cut down the two trees closest to the driveway. I was concerned they’d fall and block us from getting in or out of the property. But she’d said the odds of what happened the night Mindy died could happen again were slim to none and not to worry so much.
Slim to none wasn’t good enough.
But this time, I was prepared.
The tall ponderosa fell as if in slow motion, landing square across the driveway and blocking our path out to the main road.
I slammed the truck into park, headlights aimed at the downed tree, and threw my door open and jumped out of the cab. Wind and rain slapped against me as I ran back to the tailgate. I dropped it down, hoisted myself up, and crawled along the bed to the built-in toolbox. I swiped my arm across my face to wipe away the icy rain, spun the lock dial to the right, then to the left, then right again—Mindy’s birthdate—and lifted the lid.
The sharp metal edges of the chain saw blades gleamed up at me. It was made for a night like this. I looped the strap holding the safety glasses over my head, and they hung from my neck. I grabbed the headlamp, stretched the strap around my head, and clicked it on. I hefted the chain saw out of the box and closed the lid. Tasha’s wide blue eyes stared out at me through the rear window.
“I’m going to cut it up!” I yelled and pointed at the chainsaw.
“I’ll help!” Her voice was muffled, and she spun around.
Before I could protest, she was out of the cab and running through the rain toward the fallen tree.
By the time I reached her, she was straddling the end of the tree and pulling at the branches .
“Cut here first!” Her hair blew around her face as she shouted over the storm.
“You can’t be that close!” I shouted into the rain. “I got it! You can help me clear the tree away!”
“Okay!” She hopped off the tree and jogged a safe distance away.
I slid the safety goggles onto my nose and made sure they were secure over my eyes. The headlamp was bright enough to illuminate a wide swath of the tree. I flipped the switch on the chain saw, pulled back the handle guard, and yanked the cord once, twice, and it buzzed to life.
“Pull your sweater up over your face!” I lifted my own shirt to demonstrate, just in case she couldn’t hear me.
Neither of us had thought to grab our jackets, and I only had one set of goggles.
Tasha nodded and complied.
I lopped off a few of the smaller branches until I was able to get a clean cut on the fattest part of the tree. I brought the saw down on the exposed trunk, and it chewed through the bark, sending sawdust onto the ground to mix with the rain. As soon as the chain saw made it all the way through, I lifted it away, and yelled, “Clear!”
Tasha lowered her sweater, leaned down, and rolled the piece away. We repeated this process several times, then worked together to pull the cuttings off to the sides of the driveway.
Once the road was clear enough to pass, we hustled back to the truck. Tasha rejoined Penny in the back seat, and I climbed into the bed to secure the equipment in the toolbox. I grabbed two of the towels I kept in there and ran back to the driver’s door .
I climbed in and handed one of the towels back to Tasha. “Here ya go. I’ll buy you a new outfit at the gift shop,” I promised and dried my hands.
“Thanks.” She smiled and dragged the towel over her face.
“Oh my gosh!” Penny said. “You guys were amazing out there.”
“We do make a pretty good team,” I said, towel-drying my face.
“We sure do!” Tasha squeezed her hair with the towel.
“You always have,” Penny said, then she moaned a little.
“How are you feeling, Pen?” I asked.
“Tired. And my stomach’s kinda crampy.”
“We’ll be there soon.” Tasha tucked the blanket closer around her sister. “I never knew Monty could handle a chainsaw. Did you?” She smirked at me in the rearview mirror. “I’m kinda liking this lumberjack version of him.”
I shook my head and smiled. Lumberjack, eh? I’d take it. I was a big manly man, after all. My eyes flicked to the rearview mirror again and I took in the vignette of sibling love, a love I had missed for so long.
Penny giggled and let her body lean against her sister. “You’re the best sister, Tasha. You’re always there for me.”
“Aw, it’s nothing, Pen. Any person in there would have helped you,” she said.
“Yeah, but not the way you do. You know me like no one else does. Remember when I needed a job? You vouched for me to the Bevells, knowing full well I wouldn’t be able to speak to customers because of my nervous stutter. And you encouraged me to take ASL as my foreign language because I’d have to speak in class with all of the others. ”
“Really, it was nothing, Pen. Shush, and let me tell you the tale of Lumberjack Monty.”
As Tasha chronicled a play-by-play of our tree removal to Penny, my shoulders relaxed, and I let out a long, silent breath.
In a way, this whole incident felt like a redo, a second chance for me. I wasn’t able to save my sister, but I was able to ensure Penny was no longer in danger.
Nothing would bring Mindy back, but being prepared and able to help a friend in crisis gave me much-needed peace.
I pulled up to the emergency entrance. Mr. and Mrs. Palmer were there waiting for us. Tasha hopped out and ran around to open Penny’s door so their dad could help her down from the truck and into a wheelchair.
I pulled away as they whisked her inside, and I navigated to the parking garage. Once I was inside the building, I went straight to the gift shop for new clothes.
“Hey Monty! Got caught in the storm, huh?” The elderly cashier waved me over. I was a frequent customer here and knew all the staff. I usually picked up flowers or toys for the kids I visited.
“Hi, Connie. Nah. Decided to take a dip in the fountain for funsies.”
“Oh, you!” She chuckled, and I grinned back. “Let me know if you need any help.”
“Will do.”
Not much of a selection. Scrubs, athletic gear, tacky touristy threads. I decided on royal blue Denver Edge hoodies and black unisex sweatpants. A two-pack of socks, a pair of boxers and … I stared at the women’s underwear section. There were too many choices, from full-on waist-high coverage to thongs. I ha d no idea what Tasha wore. I thought back to our stunting. I didn’t remember her having a panty line, so that would lead me to think thong, but was that for practice or every day? And the bras—sports, underwire, no underwire, pushup?
“Women’s undies, huh?”
My cheeks heated. “My friend and I got caught in the rain. She’s in the ER with her sister,” I explained. “I’m buying us dry clothes.”
“A friend, huh?”
“Yes, a friend.”
“Noted. You got a picture of her?” I nodded. “Let me hold these, and you find it. I’ll see if I can figure out her size, okay?”
I passed her the bundle of clothing and scrolled until I found my favorite picture of Tasha. It was from Gabby’s wedding. She’d asked me to take a picture of her standing outside the barn doors in her bridesmaid dress.
“Ooh, pretty one! Zoom in on her chest.”
“What? No. Give me the clothes back, and you do the zooming.”
Connie cackled with laughter. “Testing you. Good news! You passed!”
I held the bundle while she assessed the picture. “I’d say she’s between a small and a medium. Since you’re just friends, how about a sports bra and boy shorts? Modest bathing suit kind of coverage.”
I released a breath of relief. “Yeah. Good idea.”
She plucked a matching set off the wall and added it to my stack. “Anything else? Shoes?”
I looked down at my soggy sneakers. “Yeah. Whatcha got in men’s thirteen and women’s seven? ”
“You know her shoe size!” She elbowed me. “Just friends, huh?”
“She was my stunting partner for sixteen years, Connie. I literally held her feet in my hands.”
“Uh-huh. You want to be matchy matchy on the shoes, too? Nothing screams partners like twinning!”
“Just whatever you have is fine.” This was taking way too long.
Ten minutes later, I’d changed into my new clothes and texted Tasha to find out how Penny was doing.
The doctor just left. She’s getting fluids. They’re going to admit her overnight for observation. Her OB is on the way.
Okay. I’m in the ER waiting room. I got you some dry clothes.
I’ll be there in five.
I stuffed my phone in my pocket and walked toward the door that led to the unit.
When Tasha came through the door, I held up the shopping bag with her clothes. Poor thing was damp and shivering.
“Thanks! I’ll be right back!”
I stayed put, waiting for her, and when she emerged for the second time, I couldn’t help grinning like a clown. “Nice outfit,” I teased.
She snorted and pulled on her wet braid. “You realize this isn’t a cheer comp, right? We don’t have to match.”
I shrugged. “Too many choices on the women’s wall.”
She shook her head. “I’m not complaining. This is warm and soft. Let’s go sit.”
I followed her to an empty corner, and we placed our bags on the coffee table wedged between perpendicular chairs.
“You were amazing out there,” Tasha said. “Thank you. ”
“Just did what I had to do,” I replied. “You were totally the VIP of that operation. You have great instincts, Tasha.”
“So do you. We move well together. Five months of being roommates, and we didn’t bump into each other once in the kitchen.”
“And cleaning up those suds felt like one of your choreographed routines.”
She laughed. “Floody bubbles! That was insane.”
“And fun.”
“Yeah. Once I stopped being annoyed with you.”
“Well, no more of that now that I’m finally out of your hair,” I said.
Tasha frowned and tugged her knees up to her chest, her new shoes flat on the seat. “Yeah. No more having to listen to your shower concerts. I could hear you through the walls! I do miss the ugly old cat, though.” Her lips twitched as she fought a smile.
“Have you given any thought to Nana’s invitation?” I asked.
“To move in with you?”
I nodded.
“Every other minute since she asked.”
“Really?” I tried not to sound too hopeful.
“Yeah. Who wouldn’t want to live there? It’s the most gorgeous piece of property I’ve ever seen. Beautifully decorated. State-of-the-art kitchen. A pool, a lake, a brook, a veranda, a gazebo, turret library, a sunroom, a mud room, a fancy parlor, a study…”
“You’d be surprised. The last girl I took out talked about building a mansion in the mountains on our first—and only—date. It was a common theme.”
“Is that why you stopped dating? Gold-diggers? ”
“Pretty much. I’d rather spend time with Nana and the kids. Once we’re sure Penny’s okay, I was planning to do a round in the pediatric oncology unit. Want to come with?”
“I’d love to, but you’re changing the subject.”
“Nah. I’m just done talking about it. So, you moving in or not?”
“Wouldn’t it be weird for you?” She rested her chin on her knees and tilted her head.
“Why? You can have the room next to mine, if you want. It’ll be like old times. The walls are thicker than at your place, but you could probably still hear me sing. I’ll even take requests.”
She laughed. “Old times. Like last week. Old times!” She was cracking up.
And I loved it.
“I’ll even steal your shampoo and hide Cadbury eggs in your room.”
“Hide Cadbury eggs? Where? And how did you get them out of season?”
“I have my secret ways.”
“That just might be the deciding factor. Those are my favorite. You’re a good friend, Monty.”
“Yeah, I know. I hate that they make you sick, though. I might have to rethink that.”
She sighed. “They don’t make me sick, per se. They just, um … give my insides a little, ah … boost when things are stuck and aren’t moving along on their own. Like coffee does.”
Her face flamed bright red, and a look of relief crossed her features when her phone rang. She pulled it from her pocket. “It’s Mom. Hi … Okay … Is it all right if Monty comes? He’s still here … Okay … See you soon.” She ended the call. “Mom says Penny’s strength is returning by the minute. They’re transporting her now, and she should be settled in her room in a half hour or so. You want to go see the kids on the way?”
“Yeah. Let me run our wet stuff to the truck. Meet you at the gift shop?”
She grinned. “See you there.”